A lively pre-meeting chat via Zoom ranged from our bowling team’s accolades to Bob Dascola’s sightseeing in Telum, Mexico. Equally happy conversations happened in person in the Anderson Room.
President Susan rang the bell, and we all sang God Bless America to Tom Strode’s mighty piano accompaniment.
Agnes Reading recalled famous April 6’s in history including the restart of the Olympics, first movie on an airplane, 1st Early Bird Satellite, and even ABBA releasing “Waterloo”!
Rick Ingram inspired us to give a rousing rendition of “Give my Regards to Broadway.”
President Susan welcomed us all to the meeting, and gave a special birthday greeting to Ron Slagell.
Club Secretary Kathy Waugh presented our Club the background for voting on Club Outreach Board Member Candidate, Dave Keren. The motion was moved and seconded, and the vote was taken both via Zoom and in person. By unanimous vote, Dave Keren was elected. Thanks to Dave for stepping up to the Board and to the nominating committee.
Marcia Lane reported on the upcoming Peace Conference to take place at the Michigan League on September 23 and 24. The Conference is co-hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Toledo, in collaboration with the Wayne State University Center for Peace & Conflict Studies, with support from Rotary Districts 6380, 6400, & 6600 – representing over 5,000 Rotarians.
Peace is one of Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus, yet we rarely have an opportunity to directly work on this pillar. This Conference gives us a tangible way.
This Peace Conference is not a one-off event: There are three phases including virtual programming; a peacemaker’s benefit concert on August 7 at Taylor Conservatory; and the two-day conference itself.
Our Conference Partnership with the Resolution Project designed to encourage young people to find solutions to resolve today’s most pressing issues. There will be a call for undergrads of student teams of 2-4 to submit a project, with funding to the winning project of up to $5K as well as mentoring.
Guest Conference speakers include Dr. Craig Spencer (Doctors without Borders), Solomon Souza (international mural artist); Dr. Nivedita Lakhera, Pulitzer-prize nominee author, doctor and professor; Omar Gooding (actor).
Marcia invites club members to JOIN the planning committee, INFORM youth/youth leaders and professors about the Resolution Project, VOLUNTEER for a job at the conference, SPREAD the word and attend, and DONATE. There is a fundraising goal of $135,000. Registration, $75 and $25 for those under 25. Includes continental breakfast and a lunch on both days. For information on sponsorships, contact Ashish Sarkar, adsarkar48@gmail.com
Tom Millard came to the podium and started trash talking our fellow Rotarians about Adopt-a-Highway Clean Up, April 23. Support both club and district in one day in a 2-1 special of service above self. There is Adopt-a-Highway cleanup from 9 – 11 a.m. then lunch; then more environmental cleaning up with District 6380 at 4408 S. Wagner Road (by Vestergaard farm). Come for one or projects. Don’t Refuse this opportunity. Sign up using the links above. (Editor’s note: the Adopt-a-Highway cleanup is actually quite fun, and I speak from first-hand experience. You are with fun people with you will whacky time imagining the back stories on all the UNUSUAL objects you will find on the side of the highway. –Mary Steffek Blaske)
Kathy Waugh spoke to the Club about “Wine Women and Song” event on April 21st, at 7:30 p.m. for wine and 8 p.m. performance. Relax and enjoy the great music. Contact Kathy to reserve your space – $35 per person. It is a delightful evening!
Mark Ouimet invited us all to the District 6380 Conference on May 20-21 in Novi. It is an opportunity for us to become more deeply involved in Rotary and you don’t need to be an officer to participate. On Friday from 5 – 9 p.m. there will be a dinner, speaker and Rotary golf (putt putt) $60; on Saturday activities run from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m., $200. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and General Secretary John Hewko will be speaking. (John Hewko is also a member of the Ukraine Rotary Club.) You are free to come and go to the sessions that range from fundraising to the inner workings of the District.
President Susan resumed the podium and introduced her good friend of 30 years, Ken Fischer, who masterfully led the University Musical Society for 30 years; and her daughter-in-law of 15 years, Kendra Whitlock Ingram, who leads the Marcus Performing Arts Center (MPAC) in Milwaukee.
“The Challenges and Opportunities of Performing Arts Presenting Today” – Two generations in Arts Presenting.
Ken introduced his colleague Kendra and set the stage for their talk: challenges, memorable times, and lessons learned.
Kendra shared that the Marcus Center not only presents opera and ballet, but a full Broadway theater playbill. A major challenge was opening up the MPAC after 18 months of covid, when there were no plays shown at all. The pause caused and will continue to cause a back-up in the pipeline of Broadway shows on tour. Happily, the MPAC opened after those 18 months with “Hamilton.” Another major challenge she and her colleagues are addressing is the lack of people of color in executive positions in our nation’s arts and cultural organizations. Her shared goal is to have 30% of executives in our nation’s cultural institutions represented by people of color by 2030.
Ken agreed that the lack of diversity was a challenge he faced from the day he started at UMS. He said he brought with him the mantra of his mentor, Patrick Hayes, Everybody In, Nobody Out. It was his mantra too throughout Ken’s tenure at UMS.
Kendra smiled at remembering one of her most memorable times being the electricity in the air among the audience members at being back to live theater – together. Another moving moment was hearing Jane Goodall speak when visiting the Omaha Performing Arts Center. A third memory – though she admitted it may have taken years off of her life – was when she was with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra managing a (Grammy-nominated) recording and performance of Bernstein’s “Mass” at Carnegie Hall.
Ken recalled he and his wife, Penny, attending the 1971 Bernstein “Mass” in Washington, DC. He said one of the most moving concerts he experienced was the student-organized “Requiem for Orlando,” in memory of the lives lost at the Pulse nightclub. Ken smiled as he recalled the October 1988 Leonard Bernstein Birthday Concert at Hill. Then he told us of the heroic efforts done by the UMS staff to contact 3,600 patrons to let each know that heretofore unknown soprano Eva Podles would be singing in place of an ailing Cecilia Bartoli. (A brilliant concert that paved the way for Podles’ Carnegie Hall debut where she thanked Ann Arbor for giving her the opportunity to sing.)
Kendra said that there were three major lessons she has learned:
1) network – the power of partnerships makes lifelong friends as well as colleagues;
2) patience – change takes time. At this time Kendra and Ken fondly remembered Detroit Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Ann Parsons who died recently. Ann was the epitome of patience they both agreed.
3) Positive attitude. Again, both Kendra and Ken recognized Ann for her positive attitude.
Ken cited four lessons learned:
1) Have a policy that you aim for. For him it was Everybody In, Nobody Out.
2) Get people’s names spelled right and pronounced correctly.
3) Surround yourself with young people.
4) Be kind.
President Susan thanked the speakers, then announced that next week Dr. Missy Stultz will speak on A2 Zero.
President Susan gave us with the Quote for the Day: “Which is more important,” asked the Big Panda, “the journey or the destination?” “The Company,” said the tiny dragon.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Steffek Blaske
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Photography by Fred Beutler
